Real Madrid face tough Espanyol test to keep 100% record alive

Real Madrid will welcome Espanyol to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu for a crucial LaLiga Round 5 encounter on September 20, 2025, at 15:15

. The match will be officiated by Juan Martinez and features two teams enjoying excellent starts to the season, with the hosts sitting top of the table on 12 points and Espanyol in third place with 10 points.

This fixture promises to be an intriguing battle between Carlo Ancelotti's star-studded Madrid side and Manolo Gonzalez's surprising Espanyol team.

Real Madrid (4-2-3-1, Xabi Alonso)
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois (1)
Defence: Daniel Carvajal (2), Raul Asencio (17), Eder Militao (3), Alvaro Carreras (18)
Midfield: Federico Valverde (8), Aurelien Tchouameni (14), Brahim Diaz (21), Arda Guler (15), Vinicius Junior (7)
Forward: Kylian Mbappe (10)
Injured: Ferland Mendy (23), Antonio Ruediger (22), Trent Alexander-Arnold (12)
Suspended: Dean Huijsen (24)
Doubtful: Endrick (9)

Espanyol (4-4-1-1, Manolo Gonzalez)
Goalkeeper: Marko Dmitrovic (13)
Defence: Omar El Hilali (23), Fernando Calero (5), Leandro Cabrera (6), Carlos Romero (22)
Midfield: Tyrhys Dolan (24), Pol Lozano (10), Urko Gonzalez de Zarate (4), Javier Puado (7), Edu Exposito (8)
Forward: Roberto Fernandez (9)
Suspended: Pere Milla (11)

The recent history between these two sides has been intriguing, with Espanyol causing a major upset in their last meeting by securing a 1-0 victory at RCDE Stadium in February 2025, thanks to Carlos Romero's 85th-minute strike.

Prior to that, Real Madrid dominated with a 4-1 win at the Bernabeu in September 2024, with goals from Carvajal, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior, and Mbappe. Looking further back, Madrid also claimed a 3-1 home victory in March 2023 with Vinicius, Militao, and Asensio on the scoresheet, while Joselu netted for Espanyol. The overall pattern shows Madrid's dominance at home but suggests Espanyol can be dangerous opponents.

Real Madrid enter this fixture in imperious form, having won all five of their recent matches across competitions. They began their Champions League campaign with a hard-fought 2:1 victory over Marseille on September 16. In LaLiga, they've been perfect, defeating Real Sociedad away (2:1) on September 13, overcoming Mallorca at home (2:1) on August 30, thrashing Real Oviedo (0:3) on August 24, and edging past Osasuna (1:0) on August 19.

Espanyol have also been impressive, winning four of their last five matches. They secured a thrilling 3:2 home victory against Mallorca on September 15, defeated Pau 3:1 in a friendly on September 5, overcame Osasuna 1:0 on August 31, drew 2:2 with Real Sociedad on August 24, and stunned Atletico Madrid 2:1 on August 17. Currently sitting third in the table, Espanyol will be looking to continue their surprising start to the season.